To celebrate the upcoming launch of 'Life Along the Railway West of Nevertire - 2 - The Return Journey' by Glad Eldridge and I, I thought I would give you some snippets on some of the railway items we have on display at the museum.
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If you were feeling a tad thirsty on you 6 hour journey from Bourke to Dubbo, you could help yourself to a drink of, tepid water from the glass water bottle with a cork that was either hanging in a brass bracket above the window or located at the rear of the carriage. The bottle was regularly replenished by the porter as the train was waiting at each stop. Along with the water bottle, there were about 6 small glasses for you to use for your drink. When refreshed, you would replace your used glass on the stand for the next passenger to use. One of the water bottles on display at the Museum is etched with the letters 'P.T.C/N.S.W'. The Public Transport Commission was an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for rail, ferry and bus services, from October 1972 until June 1980. This gives us a close approximation for the age of the bottle.
Another bottle on display has 'S.R.A / N.S.W'. The State Rail Authority was responsible for operation and maintenance of railways from July 1980 to December 2003.
According to the Museum of Applied Arts and Science website, 'Water decanters offered the minimum level of refreshment and along with their accompanying glasses, were a standard feature of country railway travel up until the late 1970s. The water provided welcome relief for passengers, particularly on trips with infrequent stops. The decanter is relevant to the social history of railways in New South Wales'.
How would we cope with reusing drinking glasses in today's 'disposable' society, where we have single use plastic water bottles and coffee cups? We don't even see water bubbles in the parks anymore do we??
Visit: Monday- Friday from 9am-4pm. Saturday and Sunday 9am-4.30pm.
